Future : "The Real Me"

 

My affinity for this kind of rap music lies in the time I spent in Atlanta. I really love his album 'Evol," but he has not really wowed me with anything that came after, though I do like his work that came before that album. From what I have heard is that the ritics what something more introspective from him, but they feel he is doing his same old, same old, and I think the reason they don't like this is that it glorifies they hyper masculine gangster mythos, which, if he were white, would get called toxic masculinity. I think what he is doing here is what works for him and is true to who he is. There might be other conversations you want to have about what that is, but I don't care. I listen to a band that sings about raping corpses, so I obviously do not care.

The first few songs are pretty consistent with what he does, though as you get deeper into the albums, the lean begins to kick in and things mellow out. The beat is more subtle with less boom, and his lyrical flow begins to mellow as well into autotuned singing by the time we get to "California Girls" . He finds himself making trap ballads on "Weight Up". His vocals are less a jumbled murmur, which makes his voice more likea droning instrument riding the beat. Symphonic synths cascade in the background. Lyrically, things get silly on "Konnichiwa. but the pattern the lyrics are spit in gives the song more heft

"Trenchcoat' is almost an interlude.. "Snow in Skyami," it's back to the drugs, and if you are the pearl-clutching type that cares about misogyny in music, there is plenty on display. The drug songs tend to be darker.. "Build a Bitch" is pretty silly lyrically. "Radio" is ironically the catchiest. Despite that, in the song he declares it is not for radio. "2018" sounds like crack head is chanting at the beginning. It feels like he is trying to be Young Thug here. It is back to business on "Money Over Everything". The album starts to regain its momentum here.. 

With 22 songs on this album, there are bound to be some less inspired moments, "If I Could" being one of these. The influence of Yung Thug crops up again on "Big Moment." This album is not littered with guest spots and collaborations, so it's up to him to deliver all. "Cast a Spell' finds him once again going in a more Yung Thug like direction. It's an auto-tuned ballad. "Kick" has a more interesting backing track than most of the songs on this album. The backing track to 'Hollywood" sounds like it could be a song by The Weeknd with its more 80s synth feel, suited considering the direction that artist went in. The Weeknd vibes continue on "The Closer I Get", he has 9 different producers on this album ot assist with the beats, which explains the range of sound brought to the table here

"Alice" is one of the album's hookiest songs and the closest to pop this album gets with it's ywewerk inducing beat.  "Eye to Eye" balances things between the more trap ballad feel and his moving lyrical grooves. Despite the more trap ballad feel of some songs, I think he finds himself on this album, or at at least settles in with his persona and delivers what you want from him without compromising to conform to polite society so I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.

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